Anna Solomon, photo by Willy Somma |
Anna Solomon is the author of the new novel The Book of V.. Her other books include Leaving Lucy Pear and The Little Bride, and her work has appeared in a variety of publications, including The New York Times Magazine and One Story. She lives in Brooklyn.
Q: You note that you were inspired by The Book of Esther and
Michael Cunningham's novel The Hours in creating this novel. How did the idea
for The Book of V. come together?
A: Since I was a little girl, I’ve been fascinated by the
queen who comes first in The Book of Esther. Queen Vashti. She’s banished in
the opening passages and never mentioned again, and I wanted to know—what did
she do that was so bad? And what happened to her? So there was that mystery I
wanted to unravel.
But then I also wanted to explore how our notions of a bad
woman, and a good one for that matter, have and haven’t changed over time—and
how we continue to reduce other women and ourselves to types.
I was born in the late 1970s at moment that seemed to
promise that feminism was no longer needed, that at least for some of us, white
middle-class women in particular, equality had now been achieved.
But anyone who’s paying any attention at all can see that
that’s not the case. I wanted to play around with what it means to be
experiencing life in a way that doesn’t match up with the story you’re told
about that experience.
So I decided to intertwine three stories, all about women
who are living out or reckoning with an earlier story in some way. The Hours
had done that, too, and so it was a great source of inspiration and courage for
me.
Q: The novel takes place over three timelines, two more
recent and one thousands of years ago. What kind of research did you do to
write the book, and did you learn anything especially surprising?
A: I did a lot of research—on everything from contemporary
international aid operations in Rwanda to social training for politicians’
wives in 1960s Washington, D.C., to life in ancient Persia.
I think what was most surprising to me—and most fruitful—was
how little anyone actually knows for sure about how The Book of Esther came to
be, or what life might actually have been like for Jews in ancient Persia at
that time. Most of the “histories” use The Book of Esther as their main source!
The lack of concrete knowledge gave me a lot of freedom to
invent, and play,
Q: The Kirkus Review of the novel calls it a "bold,
fertile work lit by powerful images, often consumed by debate, almost
old-school in its feminist commitment." What do you think of that
assessment?
A: I like it! I’m sure some people would be turned off by that last part, but I think of myself as old-school on many fronts, including in my feminism.
To me, the old-school feminist commitment is actually a
really simple one that shouldn’t be radical to anyone who sees women as being
fully human. Unfortunately, a lot of people aren’t there yet.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?
A: I think anyone who is interested in the complexity of
women’s experiences and choice and lives will find the book resonant and
provocative.
And I hope that it’s read as a call for more connection
between women, and less competition. Let’s judge each other (and ourselves)
less and reach out and across our supposed differences more.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: Oh, life during the pandemic! I’ve got two kids, so
there’s just a lot more daily work, and interaction, and needs. Apart from that
I’m mostly focused on introducing readers to The Book of V.
But I did start a new novel in February, and I hope before
not too long to be able to dive back into that.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Anna Solomon.
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